Amethyst by Heather Bowhay Read Free Book Online

dog that you met up with in the
alley,” she shivered, “or that maybe that viral thing has finally made its way
here to our campus.” She clutched the new, bright red throw pillow. “And worst
of all, I don’t even want to think about the possibility there’s some
connection between him and the murders in B.C.” She shivered. “You know…where
all the victims have been college students.”
    My stomach churned.
“Unfortunately, I do. And another thing I know is it that all we ever talk
about these days is people dying.” I checked the time on my cell phone and
stood up. “Luckily, we both have places to be right now.”
    Standing, she
shrugged and tossed the pillow over her head. “You’re right. That’s enough
morbidity for one day.” She grabbed her purse off the table and dug for her
keys. “Hey, I still want to meet Jessica; Ben’s had nothing but good things to
say about her. You could invite her over sometime or we could go to dinner or
something.”
    “I’ll keep it in
mind,” I said as we locked up the house.
    A short time
later, I arrived at Jessica’s house. She lived with her parents in a huge white
Victorian home that overlooked the city and bay. A water garden trickled with
miniature waterfalls, and the grounds burst with colors: red begonias, purple
hydrangeas, and beautiful yellow dahlias to name a few. Silently, I
acknowledged my mother for passing her gardening knowledge on to me. Or maybe
it was when I’d weeded her flower beds that I’d learned so many plant names.
One thing was for certain, this yard was professionally maintained; there
wasn’t a weed in sight.
    Jessica ushered
me into a grand foyer and lead me into an impressive, recently remodeled
kitchen. When she answered a phone call, I wandered onto the massive wrap
around deck. The view was incredible. Sun reflected brightly off the bay, and
the snow-capped Canadian Rockies sparkled on the northern horizon. As I sat
down on a wicker rocking chair my phone beeped with a text from my dad. As
usual he addressed me with his special pet name.
    Alex – miss u.
The house is 2 quiet w/out u. I wanted u to know I’m really proud of u getting
a job and working so hard. Don’t get mad but I transferred $200 in2 your account.
Buy some new books and go out 2 dinner. Don’t tell your mom. J LYL - dad
    I sent a quick
thank you and reassured him that he was equally missed. Blades of guilt sliced
through my heart as I thought of his and mom’s reactions when they learned I’d
died in a brutal mountain lion attack.
    The screen door
opened. “Let’s burn off some calories,” Jessica called out, looking stylish in
her black and red activewear. A few minutes later she whistled and raised her
eyebrows as we hopped into my high school graduation present, a white, 2010
Nissan 350z. “Wow! I wouldn’t have pegged you for the sports car type.”
    “Yeah, you and
my parents both.” I clicked on my seatbelt. “This baby caused quite an argument
between them and my very wealthy aunt and uncle – who also happen to be my
Godparents, and who have no kids of their own.” Jessica was still shaking her
head, so I added, “I, of course, saw no problem with the gift.”
    “I’ll bet.”
    As was expected
for any hot July day, Lake Padden was bursting with people. On the ball fields
and in the playground area, children laughed and screamed with delight. Burning
briquettes and BBQ’d ribs drifted on the breeze as we accessed the trail along
the south end of the lake. A group of crows cawed overhead as we walked along a
gravel path of hilly terrain. After a few minutes we emerged into a forested
area.
    A chill coursed
down my spine, and I stopped walking. “Jessica, are there mountain lions around
here?” Accepting my fate was one thing, but dying today was not.
    She rolled her
eyes. “Not in the middle of the day, silly. We’re perfectly safe. Besides,
there’s tons of people on the trail, all making lots of noise.”
    I tried to relax
as